It’s all about pressure: boost cooling efficiency in data centres by letting more air through the airflow panels

Does your data centre have hot spots particularly around the hardware in the upper rack regions? And does increasing the output of the cooling systems and increasing the cold airflow and pressure not solve this problem? If so, it is critical to check that the design of your existing airflow panels allows a high volume of cooled air to be optimally routed through your racks. The airflow through the raised floor must be optimal at the openings to allow the cooled air to flow under high pressure directly from the raised floor to the cold aisle and ultimately to the fronts of the rack. To achieve this, we recommend using hi-plume airflow panels. Sophisticated models like the RLE airflow panels – powered by Triad – achieve almost twice the throughput rate of conventional panels with air throughput of 20 and 30 per cent. They have a special grill and fin design that channels the cooled air under high pressure to the hardware in the upper regions of the rack. This prevents hot spot formation and heat-related system malfunctions.

The RLE hi-plume airflow panels are designed to prevent hot spots and related system malfunctions. The patented design of the panel fins and grills guarantee optimum airflow and throughput rate of the cooled air and thus keeps energy consumption of the cooling systems to a minimum. Retractable handles make the panels easy to install and raise, e.g. to perform maintenance work or lay cables in the raised floor.

Up to 8 degrees more cooling right at the server

The airflow panels are capable of supporting between 680 and 1360 kg and are thus much more resilient than standard systems. The panels are installed and attached in the corners with a special attachment motion. They can be adjusted both vertically and horizontally in such a way that they can be seamlessly integrated into the floor in any location. The retractable handles make them easy to handle and, more importantly, prevent accidents. Time-consuming installation with a raised floor panel lifter is also not necessary. The grill and fin structure of the RLE airflow panels supplies enough cooled air to both servers in the upper regions of the rack as well as equipment in the middle and lower levels. The airflow is so efficient that the servers are provided with cooling that is between 3 and 8 degrees Celsius higher. The output of the cooling systems can thus be lowered – which reduces energy use!

Airflow panels are indispensable components for maximising the efficiency of containment

Hi-plume airflow panels are essential for cold aisle containment. They provide a steady supply of cold air from the raised floor with constant pressure. It is extremely important to find the right balance of cold air pressure in the contained cold aisle – not only to avoid energy inefficiency when cooling but, if the pressure is too high, to prevent the server fans which are in standby mode from starting as this could damage the hardware.